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Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem dies, aged 92
Confirmed
In Short: An activist, journalist and relentless traveler who said she went for 20 years without spending more than eight consecutive days in her storied Manhattan apartment, Gloria Steinem was a glamorous and polarizing icon who
An activist, journalist and relentless traveler who said she went for 20 years without spending more than eight consecutive days in her storied Manhattan apartment, Gloria Steinem was a glamorous and polarizing icon who used her fabled beauty, wit and charisma to inaugurate a new politics for women.
Religion of any kind was not much part of Gloria Steinem’s life until later, when through her relationships with co-founders of Ms. magazine, including Letty Cottin Pogrebin, she began participating in an annual feminist Seder.
Ruth Messinger was at the famous feminist Seder with Gloria Steinem for several years, the former Manhattan borough president and longtime political organizer told JNS.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate said Gloria Steinem was "one of the architects of the entire structure of women's equality, I mean tearing down those obstacles to young women being able to participate where their talents and hard work took them".
The women, she wrote, were expected to always “think about something happy” so they could put on a cheerful persona for their male clientele, even as their clubs demanded exorbitant portions of their tips and forced them to dress in skimpy outfits and heels so high, Gloria Steinem’s feet became swollen and permanently expanded a half-size.
Gloria Steinem spent Thanksgiving with Markle's family, introduced the younger woman to one of her best friends, loved "our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit", she said.
Gloria Steinem, the co-founder of Ms. sagazine and for six decades a charismatic leader who urged women to pursue self-affirmation, political power and equality both in the workplace and at home, died Wednesday at her home in New York City, according to her foundation’s social media pages.
When the article was published, it spurred immense controversy and made it difficult for Gloria Steinem to get work, but it has since been recognized as one of her most influential pieces of writing.
What's confirmed
- She returned to the United States and served as director of the Independent Research Service before moving to New York City in the early 1960s to begin a career as a freelance writer.
- Her foundation said she lived her last years being in community and writing - welcoming guests into her home for "Talking Circles" - a tradition that will continue.
What's still developing
- She started her career as a journalist in New York and went on to co-found Ms. magazine, one of the first publications to focus on women's issues other than housekeeping and beauty.
- She herself obtained an illegal abortion in London when she was 22 years old, and years later celebrated the US Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in the case of Roe v Wade, which granted women the constitutional right to abortion.
- Her commitment to her home becoming a centre for social justice movements, and a forthcoming book An Unexpected Life, are "among many gifts Gloria has given the world with the hope they have ripple effects for generations to come", the foundation said.
- "You all know her many accolades and the way in which she helped shape the world for woman and all people", Markle said, but added that beyond their work together, Gloria Steinem "privately, was even better than you would imagine".
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